“If, as a facilitator, you are unaware of how you are influencing the horses's behaviour, how can you provide an authentic experience for a learner?" Tricia Day

The EAQ Facilitator Training is 17 days long and covers the underpinning knowledge for all six units for the Level 4 Certificate in Facilitating Equine Assisted Learning. The Level 4 Certificate was written by EAQ Founder, Tricia Day, has been accredited by OCN London, is listed on the Register of Regulated Qualifications and regulated by Ofqual. It is the only nationally-regulated qualification of its kind for equine assisted learning.

The six units are:

Handling and Managing Horses in Equine Assisted Learning

Communication in Equine Assisted Learning

Safeguarding in Equine Assisted Learning

Planning Equine Assisted Learning

Facilitate Equine Assisted Learning for Individuals and Groups

Manage Behaviour of Learners in Equine Assisted Learning.

Handling and Managing Horses in Equine Assisted Learning Course length: 4 days This unit concentrates on increasing horse awareness and ability. You will learn about herd dynamics and behaviour as well as how to work with a loose horse or those which are controlled with a halter and lead rope. The mental and emotional well-being of the horses are important to us and so we help participants to increase their self awareness as well as their awareness of horse signals and how to interpret those signals.

You will have an opportunity to practise your ‘natural horsemanship’ skills on the training by working with horses loose in a round pen as well as on a halter and lead rope.

One participant said “I’ve done some sensory skills training but I’ve never felt anything like this!”

There is an e-learning platform where you can read relevant research, watch the course videos and upload assignments. It is a great way to keep you motivated and moving along with your horsemanship.

I’ve been around horses all my life. Do I really need to do more training about horses? You may have been around horses all your life and learnt skills from well-known trainers. However, working with horses in an equine assisted learning environment is different from other types of handling or riding. You will be able to assess your skills for yourself on the Introduction Day and decide if you have any gaps in your horse awareness.

Are You In Tune With Your Horse? One of the resources for the EAQ Horse Awareness Certificate is the e-book ‘In Tune with Your Horse’ by Tricia Day.

Communication and Safeguarding Course length: 4 days

“Tricia explained how talking to someone can interrupt their thoughts, but it wasn’t until I was engrossed in grooming the horse that I realised how annoying it was when someone interrupted me! Now I’m much more mindful of when I speak as well as what I say.”

This is the second of the three training courses and covers two units. These are suitable for new facilitators, support staff and people wishing to work as assistants within an equine assisted learning environment. You will build on the skills you have learnt in the unit Handling and Managing Horses in Equine Assisted Learning.

Communication Skills for Facilitators of Equine Assisted Learning provides the knowledge and opportunity to practise the skills you need to communicate effectively with learners, parents, carers and others involved in equine assisted learning. The unit covers non-verbal and verbal communication techniques, empathic listening skills, transactional analysis, and barriers to effective communication as well as transference, counter-transference and projection.

Safeguarding in Equine Assisted Learning This units looks at safeguarding in equine assisted learning, policies and procedures including safer recruitment and how to recognise possible signs and symptoms of abuse as well as what to do if a learner makes a disclosure.

Plan, Facilitate and Manage Behaviour of Learners Course length: 9 days. This course brings together all the skills and knowledge that you have learnt so far, building on the horsemanship, communication and safeguarding.

The three units in this course cover:

Planning Equine Assisted Learning

Facilitating Equine Assisted Learning for Individuals and Groups

Managing Learner Behaviour in Equine Assisted Learning.

Topics include:

how we can make the most of the opportunities presented by the horse’s natural behaviour in their environment

roles and responsibilities of those involved in sessions

risk assessments

types of learners

different ways of planning sessions

interacting with loose horses

handling horses on a halter and lead rope

working with individuals and groups

managing behaviour of learners of all ages.

Intensive Course When you join the intensive course you will be able to take part in the 17 days training over a period of three weeks with one or two days break between each course. Visit the Events page to find out about the next available course.

We understand that you may have animals to care for, so we also organise the courses in such as way that you can attend over a longer period if that suits you better.

Number of participants We keep the numbers small, usually no more than six people at a time. This enables us to provide a personalised course to meet your individual needs and you have time to embed the skills.

What do people say about the Facilitator Training? “Everyone should do this course whether they are horsey or not!”“This course has really enriched me in many ways Tricia, you’ve been amazing and inspiring. Thank you so much for inviting me to the course!”

“I have learnt a lot particularly about myself and I hope the changes that have occurred can be applied and maintained. I feel more ‘grounded’ and that should help me!”

”I have more self-awareness, how I can communicate more effectively with others, and how subtle the effect is..”